Shifting Focus; Growing up Evangelical

I grew up in a small rural town in Eastern Kentucky. I grew up in the church. My faith was always a big part of my life and a big part of my family. To be honest in a lot of ways it still is. Over the years I began to shift my focus as to what my faith was all about.


I find myself in a sea of social conservatives. I find myself in constant odds with my Republican friends and family members. I often disagree with my own Pastor (especially on issues concerning Muslims and homosexuals).

My parents are Christian and they are evangelicals. Most would describe them as conservative even though they are staunch democrats. Over the years I have discovered they are more liberal than they realized.

My mom is a feminist at heart. She recognizes the importance of choice when it comes to a woman's reproductive rights (even though she doesn't like the idea of abortion). Both of my parents believe in universal health care and both are concerned with the poor. They may not be pro-marriage equality when it comes to gays and lesbians, but who knows they may come around on that issue.

Being defined as a liberal progressive can be hard when you live in Eastern Kentucky. People have this assumption that if you are a Christian you can only vote Republican. They tend to believe you cannot be a true christian and believe in evolution.

The biggest issue I have with radical religious fundamentalism is when it makes smart people stupid. I have always fostered my intellectual curiosity and I believe it is important to value education and information. I always cringe when right wingers attack academia (and especially when they attack science).

I also have little tolerance for intolerance.

I once read an article by a social conservative that claimed that multiculturalism was a myth. I quickly realized the author was using a different definition of the term than a sociologist or an anthropologist would. Or perhaps he had no real understanding of the term, but either way it was clear that to some social conservatives diversity is a dirty word and it is something very threatening.

I began to see social conservatives as "fear mongers" for their seemingly hateful views on diversity, tolerance, and other issues such as immigration. The views I would read on conservative magazines, online forums, and other source always seemed quasi-racist.

Being an evangelical and a former social conservative I knew that I agreed very little with what passed as mainstream Christianity. For a few years I did feel conflicted. I was part of this group, but this group did not share my same values and ideas.

I began to think that a lot of Christians in American society do not really agree with Jesus as they just don't seem to be very Christ-like. I feel the true message of Jesus and his teachings have been lost -or at least silenced to a great extent.

The religious right still rankles me a lot, but I keep looking for the religious left. Where are the voices of reason? the voices of peace? Where are the liberal Christians? I knew they existed.

I just wish our voices were greater (and louder).

Perhaps one day it will be more popular to say "yes I am a Christian and I follow the teachings of Jesus and I am a proud liberal".